'My son survived, but he can't see or walk': Deadly cough syrup victim's dad recounts ordeal

BHOPAL: "My lad survived, but helium returned to maine without his sight," said Tikku Yaduvanshi (36), his dependable breaking arsenic helium recalled the 116 days his five-year-old lad had battled for beingness aft consuming the toxic cough syrup Coldrif successful Parasia town, successful MP's Chhindwara district.

"He cannot see, helium cannot locomotion properly, and I cannot permission him adjacent for a moment. How bash I spell backmost to enactment now?" Tikku said.The lad is among the fewer children to past the slayer cough syrup calamity that claimed the lives of 26 children crossed Chhindwara and Betul districts. After much than 4 months of hospitalisation crossed aggregate cities, helium was yet discharged from AIIMS Nagpur connected Monday nighttime - alive, but with severe, and perchance irreversible, damage.For Tikku, a erstwhile worker of a backstage concern company, endurance has travel astatine an unbearable cost. He has not received a wage for the past 4 months, defaulted connected lodging indebtedness EMIs, sold his cattle, and mortgaged his wife's jewellery to money attraction and prolong his household during the prolonged infirmary enactment successful Nagpur. "We were 4 radical staying determination - my wife, 2 different household members and I - paying for food, rooms, everything, portion our kid was warring for life.

Govts and officials mightiness travel and go, what we person lived done successful these 4 months cannot beryllium enactment into words," Tikku said.His son's ordeal began connected August 24, erstwhile Tikku archetypal took him to paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni successful Parasia. Two days later, arsenic complications developed, helium returned to the doctor. On September 1, Kunal was rushed to Nagpur and admitted to a backstage hospital. As his information worsened, helium was shifted to AIIMS Nagpur connected September 11, wherever attraction continued for implicit 3 months.

While the authorities govt has assured fiscal assistance towards aesculapian expenses, Tikku said it hardly scratches the surface. "Whatever wealth we person volition spell into repaying the loans we took for his treatment. It does not screen our stay, food, oregon the debts we piled up conscionable to support him alive," helium said.Complete betterment remains uncertain. Doctors person not been capable to accidental whether his son's imaginativeness volition return. "I privation the govt to archer maine - volition it carnivore the outgo of his aboriginal treatment," helium asked.

"I person heard determination are amended facilities for eyesight attraction successful Chennai. My kid did thing wrong. At slightest springiness him a chance," helium added. The Coldrif syrup calamity has led to arrests, suspensions, and an SIT probe. Paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni, his woman Jyoti Soni, and the manufacturers of the syrup - Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals - person been named arsenic accused. Yet, for families similar these, accountability offers small comfort. "My lad survived death. Now we are conscionable praying helium tin spot the satellite 1 day, and that we are not near unsocial to combat this battle," Tikku said.